Life Connected.

The Square Root of Memories: Movies and Music

As the new Events Manager in Celina, Texas, Bree Shamsy simply wants to help create lifelong memories for the people living in this community. On this episode of "Life in Celina," Bree talks about two ongoing events that are perfect for creating those memories – "Music on the Square" and "Movie Night on the Square." These respective series continue in June, and Bree promises they'll be extra. #lifeconnected– Movie Night on the Square: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/movienight– Music on the Square: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/musicseries– Events in Celina: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/events– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

Cajun Fest 2022: Giving Back in a New Way

Caleb Lavey is back on "Life in Celina." It's Part II. The sequel.On this community podcast, Caleb will be discussing Cajun Fest 2022 – specificallythe involvement of Rex Real Estate, the title sponsor of this year's event. Cajun Fest turns 10 years old this year and continues to be one of the community's premier events. Rex Real Estate recognized the importance starting to give back in completely different way by supporting this event – and other community events. Caleb talks about his real estate company's involvement in Cajun Fest and how all of the events have become a staple of Celina's narrative. Spoiler Alert: A lot has changed since Caleb attended "Fun Day" in Celina as a kid. #lifeconnected– Cajun Fest 2022: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/cajunfest– Events in Celina: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/events– Rex Real Estate: https://rexrealestate.com– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

State of the City: Making the Excellent Decision

City Manager Jason Laumer sits down with us on this episode of "Life in Celina" to discuss the State of the City. It's an engaging conversation about all the wonderful things happening in Celina and what's on the horizon for the fastest growing city in America. There are some challenges for Celina, too – mostly revolving around growth – but Laumer discusses those as well. It's an informative conversation about where Celina is and where it's going. #lifeconnected– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

Cinco de Mayo in Celina: A Cultural Embrace

Cinco de Mayo has become a marquee event in Celina, Texas. The story behind this annual celebration is inspiring. It started 31 years ago when Dago Rodriguez moved to this community. He was welcomed with open arms – so much that he planted roots, started a small business and began giving back through his non-profit, El Puente de Celina. On this episode of "Life in Celina," we visit with Dago, owner of Jimbo's Pizza, and his daughter, Julia Saltijeral. They share their story and discuss this year's Cinco de Mayo celebration, which will be held May 7 in Downtown Celina. #lifeconnected– Celina Cinco de Mayo web site: https://www.facebook.com/CincodeMayoCelina– Celina Cinco de Mayo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CincodeMayoCelina– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

One for the books: Librarian Linda Shaw

Linda Shaw helped build the first library in Celina, Texas, and as the Director of Library Services she has watched it grow into what it is today. Her love and passion for the library really shine through during this episode of "Life in Celina." She also discusses the library's upcoming book sale on April 9. #lifeconnected– Celina Library: https://www.celina-tx.gov/379/Library– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

On fire for Celina: Daniel Puente

Celina resident Daniel Puente commutes to work in Dallas. He's a captain for the Dallas Fire Department. He makes the long commute, because it's important to him to live in Celina and raise his kids in this community. On this episode of "Life in Celina," he explains why that important and how this community welcomed him with open arms 11 years ago. #lifeconnected– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

Celina Style: Wine Crawl Kicks Off Chamber Events

"Celina Style" – a perfect distinction that captures the essence of every single Chamber of Commerce event in this community. It was coined by Melissa Cromwell, president of the Celina Chamber, and she makes it her mission to apply it to everything the Chamber does. On this episode of "Life in Celina," Melissa talks about the Chamber's 2022 Wine Crawl. She also shares her story and discusses other festive events planned throughout the year. – Wine Crawl Tickets: https://celinachamber.org/membership-payment/event/wine-crawl/– Celina Chamber Web Site: https://celinachamber.org– Volunteer opportunities: https://www.celina-tx.gov/1447/Volunteer– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

Friday Night Market: Celebrating & Showcasing Celina

Some people consider Friday Night Markets in downtown Celina, one of the signature events in this community. It has definitely cemented itself as a staple in Celina, setting a tone for the other amazing events that happen throughout the year. Friday Night Markets also celebrates and showcases Downtown Celina. (Some people say its like walking on to a movie set.) On this episode, we sit down with Michelle Baggett, the driving force behind the market, and Hailey Gatlin, event coordinator in Celina, to discuss this special event which happens once a month. Friday Night Market Schedule for 2022: March 11, April 8, May 20, June 10, July 8, August 12, September 9, October 14 and November 4– Friday Night Market: https://www.lifeincelinatx.com/fnm– Got questions? Email: events@celina-tx.gov– Volunteer opportunities: https://www.celina-tx.gov/1447/Volunteer– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

Complete Buy In: Coach Bill Elliott

Coach Bill Elliott is a champion for Celina, Texas. It's no secret that he loves this community. During his tenure as head football coach, he has added to the lore of Bobcat Football. Coach Elliott has built on a solid foundation laid by past coaches, and he continues to push for excellence. Spoiler alert: He's able to do this by getting the athletes, their parents and the community to completely buy into the program. During our conversation, he says that it's not hard to do because of the winning tradition established in Celina and the families that call this community home. #lifeconnected– Celina ISD: https://www.celinaisd.com– Celina Economic Development: https://celinaedc.com– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker

’Even when you have nothing, you can still give something’

On this inaugural episode of 2022, we're doing a follow-up on the Blue Santa program, which we highlighted at the end of last year. On this episode, we sat down with a volunteer and supporter of Blue Santa, Wendie Wigginton, and we got the opportunity to visit with Mark Lott, the father of family who benefitted from the annual program. The over-arching theme for this episode is the giving heart of this community. That really comes out in both of these conversations. #lifeconnected– Blue Santa Podcast from December 2021: https://www.spreaker.com/user/lifeincelina/blue-santa-podcast– Celina PD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CelinaPolice– Celina Economic Development: https://celinaedc.com– City of Celina: https://www.celina-tx.govMusic: Vocals by Jon Christopher DavisEngineered by Wextrax StudioMusic by Mark Metdker